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FeliksChertok - PeerSpot reviewer
Chief engineer at Arnatel
Real User
May 19, 2023
Has a lot of security features, but it is expensive
Pros and Cons
  • "We use a lot of security features available with Cisco Catalyst Switches."
  • "Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution and its price could be improved."

What is most valuable?

We use a lot of security features available with Cisco Catalyst Switches. Cisco Catalyst Switches' output is not bad, and it has a lot of ports.

What needs improvement?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution and its price could be improved. The lifetime of the equipment is not enough because our customers face problems when they need to change the equipment. As applications and software demand more output, vendors focus on increasing the throughput of newer equipment. However, this often leads to the discontinuation of support and warranty for older equipment.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than 15 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a seven out of ten for stability because sometimes we have problems with the software.

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
914,889 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches an eight out of ten for scalability. Cisco Catalyst Switches support the clustering of several switches. Our clients are mostly small enterprises with nearly five thousand employees.

How are customer service and support?

With each passing year, the knowledge of support engineers for Cisco Catalyst Switches is getting worse. Cisco TAC was in Europe and North America but moved to Mexico, China, India, and the Middle East last year. Although work is cheaper in these locations, they don't have knowledgeable customer support staff.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have previously worked with HP, Juniper, and Dell.

How was the initial setup?

I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten for its initial setup. The solution has no IP address, and you need a special cable to connect to them. This special cable is not free, and without the cable, you cannot configure the solution. The deployment of Cisco Catalyst Switches takes around 60 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

Cisco Catalyst Switches' deployment is very easy. You can use it from the box if you don't need any specific configuration. If we have any deployment-related questions, we open a ticket in Cisco TAC, and their engineers resolve our problems.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is an expensive solution. I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a four out of ten for pricing.

What other advice do I have?

Cisco Catalyst Switches have a lot of features that we don't use, but we pay for them. Most Cisco equipment comes with a subscription, which is not free. However, our customers do not use this subscription. If you have enough money, better use Cisco because the technical support of other vendors is worse than Cisco.

Overall, I rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Ali ALI - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at frieslandcampina
Real User
Top 10
Feb 24, 2022
They're balanced and highly reliable but don't integrate well with some solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "Catalyst switches are highly reliable; they have a good product life, and they are balanced overall compared to others."
  • "Cisco needs to improve compatibility with other solutions and other vendors like SolarWinds. We've had problems using Catalyst with SolarWinds. Some devices can't be put on SolarWinds due to some ID Values and so on."

What is our primary use case?

We are mostly using the Cisco Catalyst 2900 Series, but some are the new 900 Series and a mixture of a lot of solutions. More than 300 people are working on Cisco Catalyst switches.

What is most valuable?

Catalyst switches are highly reliable. They have a good product life, they are balanced overall compared to others.

What needs improvement?

We sometimes have issues using Cisco Catalyst switches in a mixed environment. For example, we are using Fortinet's firewall, so if we jump to Cisco, then we have a problem. If we need another solution for MAC filtering, we need to go for IEEE or AAA. 

Cisco needs to improve compatibility with other solutions and other vendors like SolarWinds. We've had problems using Catalyst with SolarWinds. Some devices can't be put on SolarWinds due to some ID Values and so on. 

They need to show some flexibility because no environment depends on one product. And when we add new solutions for monitoring, troubleshooting, etc., we need integration with our Cisco devices. I think it would be great if Cisco could improve its integration with other vendors in the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used Cisco Catalyst for the last four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Cisco Catalyst switches are stable. No question about it.

How are customer service and support?

TAC is a wonderful service. They are cooperative and professional. They do great in the case of RMA or case of troubleshooting.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We tried Juniper HP and some other solutions.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Catalyst switches is complex. We have about four or five Cisco-certified technicians to look after these things.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of Cisco Catalyst switches is reasonable. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Cisco Catalyst seven out of 10. I definitely recommend Cisco switches as a complete solution. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Catalyst Switches
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Cisco Catalyst Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
914,889 professionals have used our research since 2012.
SameerBali - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Architect at Syriatel Mobile Telecom
Real User
Feb 6, 2022
Reliable and stable catalyst switch; can be easily installed
Pros and Cons
  • "Scalable, stable, and reliable product that's easy to install. Technical support is dependable and can be contacted in a variety of ways, e.g. through their ticketing system, hotline number, and community forum."
  • "I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product."
  • "Pricing for Cisco Catalyst Switches is on the higher end, compared to its competitors, and is something that could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I've utilized Cisco Catalyst Switches on a DNA center. I've also used it for many solutions, e.g. in universities, telecom companies, and other commercial institutions.

I've implemented many solutions that contain Cisco Catalyst Switches, call switches, abbreviation switches, and access switches on Cisco design solutions. I worked on a network that contained more than 100 Cisco Catalyst Switches in some of the universities.

I use Cisco Catalyst Switches and I implement most of the technology with that content in IOS.

What is most valuable?

I like Cisco Catalyst Switches because most of the time, we can do what we want with the product. Cisco has good guidelines that enable us to implement anything, so we can have a multiple ability product on most of the network equipment worldwide.

Cisco has communities or forums that help us implement more complicated areas in terms of network, so in addition, Cisco is not just a network equipment company, because they provide us most of the solutions, development, protocols, and new technologies, more than any other company in the world.

I also like the availability of Cisco Catalyst Switches, including scalability and reliability. You can find all these in this product.

What needs improvement?

Pricing for Cisco Catalyst Switches is on the higher end, compared to its competitors, and is something that could be improved. Security could also be increased.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Cisco Catalyst Switches for 15 years, and still working with it and other Cisco products currently.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I find this product stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This product is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We count on the technical support of Cisco in many ways, and we have different ways of contacting them. We can open a ticket, use the Cisco community forum online to provide us support, and give them a call to solve any problems that arise.

How was the initial setup?

I've installed a lot of Cisco Catalyst Switches and I never had any problems with the installation, including the installation of other Cisco products, e.g. routers, firewalls, etc.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Some switches need a license, while some don't. Cisco Catalyst Switches has different types of licenses that could count as versions, e.g. version 12.4. 12.4 is a version we can't provide because we don't have a license for it, but Cisco Catalyst Switches from IOS version 15 and up, we need to purchase a license for all features if you want to run them on Cisco Catalyst Switches. Version 15 is better than 12.4, and version 15 has a better license, when compared to other Cisco Catalyst Switches licenses.

Cisco Catalyst Switches are not one of the cheapest switches in the market. There are a lot of products that are cheaper, e.g. HP, Huawei, Netgear, but they don't provide us with the availability, possibility, etc., we need, which Cisco can provide.

HP could provide us with cheaper switches, with a lot of security features and stability, but it's not absolute, compared to what Cisco Catalyst Switches can provide.

Juniper switches can also provide us with more security and stability without any problem, so it can be a Cisco competitor product we can use.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was able to evaluate HP, Netgear, and Juniper switches.

What other advice do I have?

I've worked with all Cisco products, e.g. routers, ASA firewall, switches, etc. I started working with them 15 years ago.

More than 500 employees in our company use this product. We have more than 1,000 network equipment that utilize Cisco Catalyst Switches.

My rating for Cisco Catalyst Switches is a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Namra Saif - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Sales Engineer at Comstar - Information Systems Associates Ltd.
Real User
Mar 15, 2024
Provides flexibility and is reliable from a security perspective
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is also flexible."
  • "The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

Cisco offers good switches. In Pakistan, there are a lot of customers who are Cisco lovers, and they also use Cisco's firewall products.

What is most valuable?

The features of Cisco that I find to be the most valuable or effective are its network security and speed.

What needs improvement?

My company cannot import Cisco products in Pakistan due to some L/C issues. Cisco can consider the aforementioned details related to imports for improvement.

The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for more than three years. I sell the product to my company's clients in Pakistan and don't use it personally.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. The product is also flexible.

My company deals with around 50 customers who use the product.

How are customer service and support?

The quality of support services provided by the product is good. You can open a ticket with the support team and also use Cisco's RMA option, which is quite a speedy process.

The product's support team is good, and it is easy to open a ticket. The product's technical team responds to a user's queries in a few hours or minutes.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase was easy.

There is a manual from Cisco that can be followed to deploy the product, and our company's clients mostly use it since it helps them take care of the deployment process by themselves. Our company's clients don't seek help from my organization for deployment. Our company's clients will only approach us if they get stuck somewhere with the deployment process.

For the deployment process, there is a portal maintained by Cisco where you can log in and take care of the configuration part. Cisco provides guidance with the steps involved in the deployment, and one can easily follow them. The user dashboard in Cisco's hotel can be helpful for those who are involved in deploying the product.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The new products from Cisco in the market are expensive. My company cannot import Cisco products, so they are mostly unavailable.

My company's clients pay yearly for the licensing costs attached to the solution.

What other advice do I have?

The product was helpful in improving the network performance for our company's clients, considering that I have dealt with a few companies who are quite satisfied with Cisco's technical features because, on a monthly basis, they acquire five to six Cisco tools from my organization. Our company's clients can't afford the new equipment provided by Cisco and mostly prefer to purchase refurbished equipment. Our company's customers are satisfied with refurbished equipment.

The product is reliable from a security perspective since it offers a secure VPN.

The product's ease of management has improved our company's operational efficiency since Cisco supports configuration or troubleshooting issues.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it.

Integrating the product with other network tools impacts our company's IT infrastructure since it is an easy process to integrate, deploy, and configure the tool.

The product's users experience many benefits, considering that it is a scalable and reliable tool. Cisco places a strong emphasis on security. Cisco offers a range of features to protect its users' networks. The product secures its users' networks from cyber threats. It is easy to deploy and configure, and its support is good. I sell a lot of Cisco refurbished or used equipment in Pakistan. People love to use Cisco in Pakistan. There are a lot of Cisco lovers in the market who won't switch from it to some other brand. Some of our customers have been using Cisco for many years. I have suggested other brands to my company's customers, but they are stuck with Cisco due to its great features.

I rate the overall product an eight and a half out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
RafaelTorres - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder at Torres & Torres Tech
Real User
Feb 24, 2024
Easy to configure and has good features like BGP, VPN, and spine-leaf architecture
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of the solution are BGP, VPN, and spine-leaf architecture."
  • "The solution’s licensing could be improved."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of the solution are BGP, VPN, and spine-leaf architecture. The solution has good scalability. The solution’s configuration is easy.

What needs improvement?

The solution’s licensing could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco Catalyst Switches for 13 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution has good scalability. Around 8,000 users use Cisco Catalyst Switches in our organization.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten for scalability.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Juniper.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very expensive solution.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the solution to other users.

Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Abubakar Bello - PeerSpot reviewer
Security Administrator at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jan 24, 2024
A durable and user-friendly solution that is very stable and provides very good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is durable."
  • "The product must improve its security."

What is our primary use case?

I use the product to connect computers to the local area network.

What is most valuable?

The solution is durable. We have a lot of power fluctuations, yet the product works well. It is user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

The product must improve its security. It should be more intelligent. The optimization features must be faster. It must follow in tandem with technology.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for around ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool is very stable. I rate the stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool’s scalability a seven out of ten. We plan to replace all our switches. We will choose Cisco.

How are customer service and support?

Cisco has a lot of layers of support. We won’t have a problem with support. The support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

I rate the ease of setup an eight out of ten. It is plug-and-play. The setup is straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is quite expensive.

What other advice do I have?

The solution is good. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Rabiul-Islam - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Network Security Engineer at KNZ SOLUTIONS INC
Real User
Jan 18, 2024
A highly scalable and easy-to-deploy solution that can be deployed remotely
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is convenient to deploy."
  • "The stability must be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We are mainly deploying the tool for client requirements.

What is most valuable?

The product is convenient to deploy.

What needs improvement?

The stability must be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for 20 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Sometimes, when we do upgrades, the tool goes down. We purchased a new one, but it didn’t go well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is highly scalable. Our clients are mostly enterprises.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. We deploy the tool mostly in the cloud. Someone in our team will be physically connected to the console and give us access to the network. Then, we deploy it remotely. The deployment can be done in half an hour. We connect the key ports, get the network management configurations, and deploy the product.

What other advice do I have?

We’re a service provider. If people find the price to be competitive, they choose Catalyst. Otherwise, they go with other vendors. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. MSP
PeerSpot user
Sultan Mohammed - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Network Engineer at IE Network Solutions PLC
MSP
Aug 27, 2023
High-performance solution that can accommodate growing network demands
Pros and Cons
  • "It enables fast data transfer rates, while offering stable and consistent network performance."
  • "With most of the Cisco devices and models, we faced a slight decrease in speed during the initial setup and while restarting the system"

What is our primary use case?

The main use case usually depends on the client itself. We are operating as system integrators with numerous customers and different software vendors. 

What is most valuable?

When deciding on the system, most of the clients check for switching capacity and Cisco Catalyst Switches is a very good solution for that purpose. It enables fast data transfer rates while offering stable and consistent network performance. 

What needs improvement?

With most of the Cisco devices and models, we faced a slight decrease in speed during the initial setup and while restarting the system. The performance of the solution itself is really good. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been employing this solution for a year and a half. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability depends on the device that is used and the client's requests, but overall, it is a scalable solution that can accommodate growing network demands. 

How are customer service and support?

Cisco provides comprehensive support and advanced management capabilities, including remote configuration and monitoring options. We had a small issue with the data center so we had to engage with the tech team, and their service was exceptional. I rate it ten out of ten. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complex at all. The only issue with the setup is that it takes a lot of time for the system to be deployed. 

What about the implementation team?

The deployment of the solution is based on specific networking needs so the timing and the whole process depends on the complexity of the project.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would say that the pricing of the solution falls within the moderate to higher range. It is still quite reasonable for the provided service. I rate it seven out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I highly recommend Cisco Catalyst Switches as they facilitate the creation of network segments and VLAN configurations for smooth traffic management and security. I rate it ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Itsikc BenTolila - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder & CEO at Malam-Team
Real User
Apr 9, 2022
Great features, good support, and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers great scalability."
  • "The performance is great."
  • "The product could always be more secure."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for the access layer, distribution layer, core layer - the three layers as well as a signal fabric that is managed through the DNA center.

What is most valuable?

The performance is great.

The solution offers great scalability. 

We have found the pricing to be okay. It's not overly expensive. 

It has all of the features we need.

I've been pleased with the level of security.

The setup process is simple.

We've been happy with technical support.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see more automation integrated into the solution in future releases. 

The product could always be more secure.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for many years. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the product is pretty good. There are no bugs or glitches. The performance is reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. If a company needs to expand it, it can.

We have customers on the solution that have 5- to 100 users and others that have thousands.

How are customer service and support?

We've been very satisfied with technical support. Overall, it has been good. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not overly complex or difficult. It is simple and straightforward. 

The number of people you need to maintain the product depends on how large it gets. Naturally, the bigger it is the more people you need. The size of the network will determine the maintenance requirements. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the solution is good. It's reasonably priced. The licensing fee depends on the setup.

What other advice do I have?

I'm an integrator for Catalyst.

I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. I'd recommend it as a product to others. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
PeerSpot user
Sales project manager at Saraha
Real User
Mar 31, 2022
Works well, easy to use, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "These switches are stable. They work well and are easy to use."
  • "Cisco switches are expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We work on level 2 and level 3 switches to connect many branches.

What is most valuable?

These switches are stable. They work well and are easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Cisco switches are expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been selling this solution for about 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

They are stable.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted their support. Another engineer has contacted them. We have our own two people for support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We also deal with the HP ProCurve switch, but it is not as good in Libya.

How was the initial setup?

It is not complex now because we have CCNA and CCNP engineers. We have two engineers who are certified with Cisco. Overall, we have three people who work with this solution.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented and finished a big project for a company. The company is still working with the same components that we installed. For deployment, I have two people with me, but in our company, we have a big team of 20 people.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They are expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend these switches to others. Cisco is a good company.

I would rate Cisco Catalyst Switches a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: September 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Cisco Catalyst Switches Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.